Over the years, the Afghanistan cricket team had managed to make a mark on the world stage. However, their hopes of being world-beaters might just come to an abrupt halt. Everyone knows that Afghanistan is headed by Taliban, which isn’t the best promoter of sport in the country. The women are forbidden from playing any sport. But now, the men might just bear the brunt of the extremist regime. As per various tweets/reports circulating on the web, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Hibatullah Akhundzada, has announced that he will introduce a gradual ban on cricket in the country.
Taliban Could Ban Cricket in Afghanistan
Some of their players like Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rehman, and Mohammad Nabi carved their own identities on global stage, playing T20 leagues all over the world. In fact, they had even made it to the semis of the T20 World Cup this year, where they lost to South Africa, that is a testimony of their gradual increase in stature in the world of cricket.
Of course, there are no confirmed reports for the same, but this is enough to create ripples in the cricketing fraternity. It is also unknown at the moment, when and how the ban will come about. For now, Afghanistan cricket team led by Hashmatullah Shahidi is in Greater Noida, for the only Test vs New Zealand.
Meanwhile, the tweets circulating online also claim that the cleric, Hibatullah is also not happy about the harmful effects of cricket, which is against the Sharia law. On the other hand, another one claims, that is a mere tussle between two factions — one led by Hibatullah, and another by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the brother of Anas Haqqani, who have invested heavily in Afghanistan cricket.